Portal Review

 Pre-Opinion

I HATE PUZZLE GAMES. Games like Tetris and the like can get repetitive and lame fast. But love FPS games. Portal is a little bit like both. I got it for... less than 1.98$ (23% off.) A friend of mine had bought it for his switch and had enjoyed the games. I purchased Portal a few Steam sales later.  NOTE: All screenshots are from my playthrough.

Plot

The Plot for Portal is actually pretty straightforward. A psychotic robot named GlaDOS has trapped you inside the Aperture Science Labotories and puts you through rigorous tests with the promise of cake. But the lore is INSANE. Portal probably has the biggest lore base in gaming. (Unless its Halo.) 

An early test chamber with some turrets.

The lore claims Chell is a survivor of "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day." Where legendary villain GlaDOS gassed the entire complex with neurotoxin. This was shown in Portal 2 from some creepy graffiti and a line from Wheatly. Afterwards GlaDOS took all the survivors and made them go through the testing initiative. As you can imagine almost all the subjects... yeah, they died. so now GlaDOS has one subject left... YOU! The game begins with you trapped in a cubicle before you begin testing. GlaDOS puts you through quite a few tests (there are 19 in total.) And they add more and more elements such as: Energy bullets, Turrets, Acid pits, moving platforms, Cubes, And timed doors. In some test chambers you can find creepy hideouts.

One of the first hidden dens.

after 19 tests GlaDOS attempts to off you. In turn you begin your escape. I don't want to spoil too much of the story, so I'll let you find the rest out for yourself. 

GlaDOS

Also. Portal takes place in the universe of the legendary FPS: Half-Life. In fact, there are tons of easter eggs such as this:

A slideshow in an Aperture conference room. (Note the name!)

I always like a good easter egg!

Soundtrack

The credits while GlaDOS sings "Still Alive"

Portal's soundtrack is one of the best. The song: Still Alive featuring vocals by GlaDOS is famous even to being released for the Rock Band video games. If you want to know what the soundtrack sounds like check it out on steam HERE. its 100% FREE (You need a Steam account obviously). and it's really good as well.  I actually listened to the Portal 1 and 2 soundtracks while writing this.

Gameplay

Portal is a breed of FPS and Puzzle Platformer. The game is also kind of creepy. Here is an example of a test chamber: You need to reach a door on the other side of a maze-like area. HOWEVER, robot turrets block your way. in order to get past them that you have to portal above them and drop a block through your portal onto their head. Afterwards you have to go through some more turrets until making it though the final door to the exit. 

Dead turret.

The test chambers make you feel like you are trapped. 2 is significantly less eerie. Some test chambers are super easy, but others give you motion sickness. Some make you scream at your PC for 5 straight minutes. One chamber took me 20 or 30 minutes. All while playing this game you have a deranged robot with dark humor jokes talking to you as you progress through the game. 

Test exit

Overall, Portal shines in its gameplay and the fact that it constantly gives the player new challenges and elements to keep you interested so it does not get lame and repetitive like Tetris.

Post-Opinion

The post-credits title screen.

Portal is many things: Fun, Frustrating (At times), Creepy, Funny and Nauseating. But not Boring or Lame. Portal is a great combo of gaming styles like Half-Life. here are the scores:

PLOT: 97%

The plot and lore of this game speak for themselves. WOW.

GAMEPLAY: 92%

It is a bit frustrating at times but give it a break. the game is from 2007. The gameplay is where this game really shines.

OVERALL: 97%🌟

Portal is one of the greatest puzzle games of all time. Easy. And if you don't believe me? check it out on Steam. There is a free demo. It is a bit short, however. (I beat it in 2:30) Portal needs a 3rd game BAD.